Chapter 285
Chris led his battered group back to their headquarters.
The last apartment building in the residential complex had become the organization’s base of operations. They had converted the ground floor into a communal hall. Guards stood watch outside, while every window had been boarded over with thick wooden planks, leaving only a handful of narrow firing slits.
Taking a deep breath, Chris pushed open the reinforced door.
A wave of warmth washed over him.
The temperature inside was the complete opposite of the bitter cold outdoors. After spending so long in the freezing wind, the sudden heat almost made his body go weak.
Several men sat around a table playing cards. They barely spared him a glance when he entered, and none of them bothered to stand.
Without stopping, Chris headed straight toward the innermost room and knocked twice.
"Ray. It’s me."
"Come in."
The door swung open.
A man in his forties lounged on the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers. Spread across the coffee table before him was a detailed map of the residential complex, covered in red markings and handwritten notes.
His name was Ray. He was the unquestioned leader of the organization and the man truly in control.
Beside him sat a woman in her early thirties.
Even in the middle of the apocalypse, her makeup was immaculate. Her lipstick remained a vivid crimson, and her carefully manicured nails gleamed beneath the lights.
She glanced lazily at Chris before losing interest and returning her attention to her manicure.
"Back already?" Ray flicked ash into the tray, his brows drawing together slightly. It was obvious he wasn’t pleased to see Chris returning empty-handed.
Chris recounted everything that had happened. He conveniently left out the part where a crossbow bolt had nearly pierced his skull.
Instead, he explained that the people inside possessed powerful crossbows, fought ruthlessly, had already wounded several of his men, and that the reinforced entrance couldn’t be breached. To avoid unnecessary casualties, he had ordered a temporary retreat.
Ray listened in silence. After a long pause, he stubbed out his cigarette and pointed toward the sofa.
"Sit."
Chris obediently took a seat, waiting for further instructions. After another thoughtful silence, Ray finally spoke again.
"Tell me exactly what those people in the building looked like."
Chris nearly cursed aloud.
Old pervert.
He had just spent several minutes describing the fight, their weapons, and the failed assault.
And this was the part Ray cared about?
He had only casually mentioned that the people upstairs were unusually attractive. Apparently, that had been all Ray heard.
Suppressing his irritation, Chris forced himself to keep a straight face.
He knew Ray well enough.
Ever since the organization had expanded, anyone blessed with exceptional looks eventually found themselves absorbed into Ray’s personal collection.
Men. Women. It made no difference. If they caught his eye, they became part of his harem.
Clearing his throat, Chris began describing Suzy and the others in detail.
The woman beside Ray finally looked up, her interest visibly piqued.
Unfortunately, Chris possessed a painfully limited vocabulary. He talked for several minutes, but the descriptions quickly became repetitive.
"They looked like celebrities."
"Seriously, ridiculously good-looking."
"Way better looking than normal people."
"They were all incredibly attractive."
After hearing essentially the same sentence four different ways, Ray lost his patience.
"Enough. Shut up."
Chris immediately obeyed.
The message was clear enough. Everyone in that building was exceptionally attractive. Ray understood.
"What’s the ratio?" he asked.
"One woman," Chris replied honestly. "The rest are men."
Something flickered across Ray’s eyes. After a moment of thought, he leaned back.
"Fine. Go get some rest. I’ll send more people with you later."
Chris immediately rose to his feet.
Having finished his report, he respectfully withdrew from the room. The moment he stepped outside, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
Success.
He had managed to call for reinforcements.
Next time, they would overwhelm the occupants with sheer numbers and storm the building before anyone had a chance to react.
No matter how capable they were, they couldn’t possibly withstand a full assault.
Besides... Those people looked healthy. Too healthy. Their complexions were far better than any ordinary survivors’.
That meant one thing... They had supplies. Plenty of them.
If the battle turned chaotic enough, he might even manage to pocket a few valuables for himself.
The thought alone filled Chris with anticipation.
Back inside the office, after Chris had left, Ray turned toward the woman seated beside him.
His voice dropped to a quiet murmur.
"Are they the people you’ve been looking for?"
The organization had a strict hierarchy. The newcomer held roughly the same rank as Chris and commanded a squad of more than a dozen men.
With those reinforcements, Chris’s confidence surged.
Twenty people.
There was no way they couldn’t take Building Eight.
Once they surrounded the building from both sides and forced their way inside, bringing down its occupants would only be a matter of time.
Even so, Chris resisted the urge to rush in blindly.
He sat down with the middle-aged man to work out a proper strategy instead. By the time their discussion ended, they had agreed on one thing: they would make their move tomorrow.
***
Night settled completely over Starlight Towers.
The residential complex was eerily quiet.
Back at Suzy’s apartment, everyone sat around the dining table, silently eating dinner.
No one spoke. The atmosphere was noticeably heavier than usual.
The events of the day had stripped away the easy warmth that normally filled the house.
Although they had driven Chris away, everyone understood the truth––it wasn’t over.
The organization would come back. There was no avoiding that.
Unless they abandoned the residential complex altogether.
But Suzy had no intention of leaving.
Not a chance.
Unless someone could somehow move her fortified safe house with her, she would never even consider it.
Which meant there was only one path left... They would fight.
The silence lingered until Leonard finally let out a quiet sigh.
"So... what now?"
Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.
"They’ll be back," Derek said calmly.
Although he hadn’t gone downstairs with the others, he had already heard everything that had happened.
"They won’t let this go. It could be tomorrow. Or the day after."
"It doesn’t matter," Thomas replied, his voice calm and unwavering. "If they come, we’ll deal with them."
He spoke as though the organization posed no threat at all.
Then he turned to Suzy. She met his gaze and gave a firm nod.
"Exactly. If they come, we’ll handle them."
She wasn’t afraid of facing the organization.
Hidden within her space were more than enough weapons to wipe them out if it came to that.
Suzy wasn’t afraid.
She just found the whole situation exhausting.
All she wanted was a quiet, peaceful life. Unfortunately, there always seemed to be people determined to throw their lives away.
With a silent sigh, she pushed the thought aside.